Composite tapered shingle making



R. -A. LUMB. COMPOSITE TAPERED SHINGLE MAKING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. ISIS].

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

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COMPOSITE TAPERED SH| NGL E MAKING. APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. 19:9

1,315,575. PatentedS .9,1919.

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R. A. PLUMB.

COMPOSITE TAPERED SHINGLE MAKING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. I919 1,315,575. I PatentedSept. 9, 1919.

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5c H i ROY A. PLUMB, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

COMPOSITE TAPERED SHIN GLE MAKING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

Application filed April 28, 1919. Serial No. 293,294.

To alt whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ROY A. PLUMB, a min-Michigan, have invented a new and Im proved Composite Tapered ShingleMaking,

of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of tapered shinglesfrom fibrous and cementitious materials, its general object being toprovide a thoroughly commercial process of producing such shingles, aswell as a highly desirable machine for carrying the process into effect.The need for shingles of the class referred to has long been recognizedby architects and engineers, but no method or apparatus has to myknowledge been known or available whereby they might be made rapidly andcheaply, the practical result being that they have never come into useto an appreciable extent.

In accordance with my invention, the material (cement, asbestos fiber,etc.) is properly mixed and fed to a movable belt in a puddle whichtapers transversely of the line of movement of said belt, that is, insuch manner as to form a sheet thin at one edge and thick at the otherto correspond to the taper of the shingles, the consistency of thematerial preferably being such that it will not flow appreciably, butwill, on the other hand, retain its relative position throughout themovement of the belt. While in this condition a considerable portion ofthe excess Water is extracted by suction means and the sheet is thencompressed to expel additional water and render itsutliciently compactto permit cutting into proper lengths and removal from the belt to thinmetal separators. These separators, each carrying the material for ashingle, are then stacked up so that the thin and thick edges ofsuccessive shingles are alternately arranged and overlap each other fromend to end; and when the stack has attained a sufficient thickness it isslowly subjected to extremely heavy pressure between the platens of asuitable press, removed from the separators; re-stacked, and left to dryand harden. The differences in thickness and consistency in the variousportions of the shingles are thus made compensatory, the final resultbein a cheap, substantially uniform product of pleasing design andsmooth finish. and one possessing proper strength, stiffness, toughnessand weight.

Considering the operation in its entirety, the material is thereforesubjected to the following steps:

(1st) Complete wet mixing, which may be by boaters or other suitableapparatus;

(2nd) Transfer to a movable belt to form a puddle sheet of transverselytapering crosssection;

(3rd) Subjected to suction while on the belt to remove excem moisture,and compressed substantially uniformly from side to side to consolidatethe sheet sufliciently to permit its removal;

(4th) Transferred to separator plates and cut into sections or shinglesof the desired width;

(5th) Stacked while on the separator plates in alternately reversedarrangement so that the thin edge of a given shingle is opposite ordirectly above the thick edge of the next lower shingle, whereby a pileof uniform height throughout is secured;

(6th) Slowly subjected to extremely heavy pressure applied vertically toextrude substantially all of the separable water, in which operation anygiven portion of a given shingle acts complementary to theimmediat'elyadjacent portion of the next. To assist in understandi this action, itis pointed out that sheets 0 this material,

when subjected to pressure, do not consoli date in proportion to theirthickness, that is, the pressure 'being uniform over the sheet, agreater proportional consolidation is secured at thethic'ker edge thanat the thinher, so that if a given shingle were subjected to uniformpressure throughout the thin edge would be more compact than thethicker. These varying consolidations of any two adjacent shingles aremade by steps (5) and (6) to offset or compensate one another so thatboth shingles are substantially uniformly compact throughout;

(7th) Removed from the separator plates, re-stacked, and left to harden.

The various steps may be performed by widely differing apparatus, onepreferred installation being shown for the purpose of more fullyexplaining the invention, and in order to point out certain subordinatefeatures aside from the process itself.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 1 together constitute a side elevation ofa preferred installation for carrying out the invention, parts beingomitted. Fig. .2 is a view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevationcorresponding to Fig. 1, parts being broken away and in section, onestackbeing in the press and another being in the course of formation.Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof the stack support or carriage body. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectionon line 6-6 of 1, showing the belt gripped in the secon ry press. Fig. 7is a view on line 77 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 1s a diagrammatic elevationalview together showing the relation of the clutchshifting andsuction-breaking means. Flg. 9 is a vertical section showing a preferredtype of cutter mechanism.

The frame of the machine shown comprises uprights l and longitudinalbars 2, 3 and 4, on which are supported end pulleys 5, 6 andintermediate pulleys 7 over which a material carrying belt 8 passes inthe direction of the arrow, Fig. 1. The pulley 5 is driven in anysuitable way, as by means of the clutch pulley 9, Fig. 8, shaftlng 9 andgearing t, and adjacent the pulley 6 th belt 8 passes beneath a hopper10 to which a thoroughly beaten or mixed puddle of asbestos or otherfiber and cement is delivered through the pipe 11.

This hopper has the gage or smoothing plates 12, 13, 14 each of which isindependently adjustable at opposite ends toward and from the belt 8,Fig. 2, so that the puddle is delivered to the belt in a sheet 15 whichtapers transversely of the line of movement in accordance with thedesired difference in thickness between the butts and points of theshingles. The adjusting means shown, which consists of the bolts 16,nuts 17 and sprin 18, provides a proper resilient pressure or thesmoothing or gaging operation. By providing a driven pulley 2O driven asby means of the belt 21 and the pulley 22 of the gearing 9 and a.supporting belt 23 beneath the hopper and gages, the spreading of thewet mass is facilitated.

' The loaded belt (which while tight enough to support the puddle isnevertheless of such nature as to allow excess water to be withdrawnthrough it by suction, bei preferably formed of felt or the like), a terleaving the spreader device, passes over a suction box or boxes 24connected by means of the pipes 25 to a suitable suction means, notshown, the application of the suction being broken while the belt ismoving, as will be explained later.

The belt thereafter passes by a step-bystep movement between the fixedlower and movable upper platens 31 and 32 of a reciprocating press,preferably of the hydraulic type, the faces 3334 of which, Fig. 6, arearranged at an angle to each other substantially equal to the includedangle of the shingles. The lower platen is perforated as indicated at 35to permit the escape of water.

From the press the 'belt passes to the pulley 5 where the sheet 15separates from it by virtue of the stiifness imparted it in the press31-32, and feeds out onto one of the oiled separator plates 36 which hasbeen placed on a table 37 to receive it. A sufficient length of thesheet to form a shingle of proper width having passed onto the plate, itis cut ofi' by any suitable device, such as the cutter 42, Fig. 9,pivoted at 43 and having associated therewith a. gripper 44 to whichpressure is yieldingly applied through a bar 45 and spring 46 as thecutter lowers about its pivots 43. One means of actuating the cutterconsists in the link 48, the treadle 49 and the counterweight 50.

The plates 36 with the wet shingles 38 thereon are transferred one byone to a suitable carriage body or other support such as the plate 52,Fig. 5, on which they are stacked in completely overlapping alternatelyreverse order, Fig. 3, so that the thin edge of one shingle isinterposed between the thick edges of the adjacent shingles. \Vhen thestack has reached the desired height, the support 52 is transferred to amain press .53, as by means of the elevating truck 54 and hauling chaindevice 5556, and placed between the platens 5758 thereof, where it isslowly subjected to extremely high pressure to consolidate the materialand further expel the water, after which the carriage stack is removedfrom the press, the shingles taken 03 the separators and re-stacked inpiles for drying.

A indicated above, the movement of the belt 8 is step-by-step, theclutch pulley 9 or its equivalent being manipulated to advance the sheet15 from time to time into the press 3132, which is controlled bysuitable means, not shown, within reach of the operator.

Simultaneously with the application of power to the belt (which may becontrolled by the pedal 60, rocker 61, link 62 and shifter bar 63,pivoted at 64, Fig. 8), the suction in the box 24 is broken by theoutward movement, Fig. 7, of the valve 65 away from the air inlet 66.Upon the operator depressing the other pedal 67 of the rocker device,Fig. 8, the clutch pulley is disconnected from the shaft 9 and thesuction is re-applied to the belt.

Obviously the actual construction of the machine may be widely difierentfrom that shown; I do not, therefore, wish to be limited except asindicated by the subjoined claims.

I claim Y 1. That improvement in the art of manui facturing taperedshingles of cementitious material, which consists in forming theshingles wet, transforming them to thin separator plates, arranging themin a stack in such manner that the thick and thin ends comfacturingtapered shingles of cementitious material, which consists in forming theshingles wet, arranging them in a stack alternately with thin separatorsand in such manner that the thick and thin ends compensate for eachother, subjecting the stack to very high pressure transverse of theplanes of the shingles, and permitting the material to harden.

3. That improvement in the art of manufacturing tapered shingles ofcementitious material, which consists in forming the shingles wet,arranging them in a stack alternately with thin separator plates withthe thick ends of one set of shingles over the thin ends of another orinterposed set so that the thick and thin ends compensate for eachother, and subjecting the stack to very high pressure transversely ofthe planes of the shingles.

4.. That improvement in the art of manufacturing tapered shingles ofcementitious material, which consists in forming a wet sheet of thematerial of transversely tapering cross section, consolidating thematerial by pressure, cutting off sections from the end of the sheet,placing said sections on separators, arranging them in a stack inalternatcly reverse completely overlapping order, subjecting the stackto veryhlgh pressure transversely of the planes of the sections, andpermitting the sections to dry.

5. That improvement in the art of manufacturing tapered shingles ofcementitious material, which consists in forming a wet sheet of saidmaterial on a movable belt, said sheet tapering transversely of the beltin accordance with the included angle of the desired shingles, drawingexcess water from the sheet by suction, and consolidating it by pressurebetween two surfaces which diver e from each other by an anglesubstantial y vequal to said included angle.

6. That improvement in the art of manufacturing tapered shingles ofcementitious material, which consists in forming the shingles wet,arranging them in a stack with separator plates between them and in suchman her that the thick and thin ends tend to compensate for each other,subjecting the stack to very high pressure transversely of the planes ofthe shingles, and thereafter permitting them to dry.

7. That improvement in the art of manufacturing ta ered shingles ofcementitious material, WlllCll consists in forming the shingles wet,arranging them ,in a stack with I thin separator plates between them andin such manner that the thick and thin ends compensate for each other,subjectin the stack to very high pressure transverse y of the planes ofthe shingles, and thereafter permitting them to dryiOY PLUMB

